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10 useful tips for taking great photos in Rome ( Part 1 )

Rome is really one of the most beautiful cities that someone can visit! With a first glance, the traveller will come across with thousands of images catching the eye, images that unconsciously and with greed will try to experience! Valuable ally will be, as in every journey, the photo camera that will capture in film or digitally the sights, the monuments and everything beautiful that Rome has to offer. So here there are 10 useful tips to take great photos during your trip.

1. Make sure you have a lot of films or memory cards with you , because you are going to need them. Especially with the digital cameras and the ease they offer while taking photos, you will keep taking shots filling up your memory card. Trust me it would be a pity to be in front, lets say the Fontana di Trevi with a full card. What do you do then? Unfortunately you will start erasing older photos to free up more space.

2. Take a tripod with you if you can. Rome at night is magical when the lights around the city paint in their shades roads, buildings and monuments. Alternatively you can use a bag or a jacket to place your camera, as i had done with very satisfactory results. Lastly if the camera has the appropriate settings and you have the knowlenge, increase the ISO, reduce the shutter’s speed and lower the f number, so that you manage to take beautiful nightly photos that won’t be shaken.

3. Always have the sun on your back. I am sure that this is a tip everyone knows as a basic rule of photography. And for those that haven’t heard it, you have seen that taking a shot towards the sun you will produce a disappointing result! The light in Rome is very nice and suitable for great photos. Move around the city, check the sun’s movement and see how the sunlight drops on buildings, how it illuminates sthe arcaelogical sites and choose the appropriate time of the day to take your photos.

4. If you want to take panoramic shots of the city of Rome, 3 of the best spots are:

The Giuseppe Garivaldi square, where you can go via the buses No 115 and No 870

Thes deck on the top of Vittoriano which is located in piazza Venezia at the centre of the city. From there you have a great view of the Vatican city.

La Cupola or St Peter’s Dome in the Vatican city. It offers a 360° amazing view of Rome and a unique climping experience. There is an elevator you can use for 7 euros instead of the 5 euros you pay to take the stairs. However the elevator ends at a point where you will still have lots of stairs to walk.

5. For those who are interested in taking photos of the exceptionally beuatiful exhibits of the roman museums, you have to know that there are some limitations. Taking a photo with a tripod is not allowed inside museums and churches. Its not allowed either to take a shot using flash. If you desire to take a photo of the interior of churches try to do it when there is no an on going service. The sound of the camera’s clicks during prayer could be considered as an act of disrespect from a part of the flock. Worths mentioning that especially in the Sistine Chapel, photography in strictly forbidden. People who photograph the interior of the chapel risk the immediate lecture from the guards.